Friday, 15 March 2013

(Final excerpt from the Phd thesis ‘Dance in the urban culture’ under the guidance of Dr. Sharit Bhowmik.)
The fact that scholars and theoreticians found the performing arts
worthy of their attention from a very early period is a significant
indication of attitudes toward dance and drama. However this interest
was not the sole force governing the relationships of dance and dancers
to society in general. Gradually many changes took place in the
performing arts. Art became a product of India’s caste system and the
practice of developing traditions of art within specific communities
indeed within families was observed. The schools of art descended
through teacher to disciple lineages. Since professional dancers
traditionally tended to belong to specific communities within the caste
system and they earned their livelihood through it, amateur performers
were rare. The castes from which dancers and musicians were drawn, like
those supplying sculptors and painters were comparatively low on the
ancient systematic scale of ritual purity and social status. There were
some exceptions where some forms of music and dance drama were performed
by brahmans, exclusively by males. The performing communities of brahmans were marked lower on hierarchy as compared to those brahmans
whose special duties involved learning and teaching of the Vedas or
other ancient texts. Even the communities of dancers, had to be of
sufficient ritual purity to be allowed to perform within temple
premises. In Orissa for example, female temple dancers – maharis - actually performed before the sanctum, while boys impersonating female dancers – gotipuas
- performed in less exalted surroundings in other outer precincts. The
actor - dancers of Kutiyattam Sanskrit drama in Kerala who perform in
specially built theatres within the temple grounds are lower ranked brahmans according
to some authorities, according to others they are the highest among the
Kerala Ambalavasis or temple servants. The actresses and musicians of
Kutiyattam are of the next highest rank.